Yearly Archives: 2017

MEA is moving forward with a multi-pronged response to state threats of school closures in a number of Michigan communities – mostly in high-poverty areas – which have prompted fear and outrage among school employees and parents.

We all know the world of difference that Education Support Professionals make every day in the lives of students. Here’s your chance to shout from the rooftop about the greatness of para-educators, clerical staff, food services workers, custodians, and transportation employees in your district.

EAST LANSING — The following statement can be attributed to MEA President Steven Cook regarding the release of the list of schools up for potential closure by the state’s School Reform Office:

“We all need to be dedicated to ensuring every child, regardless of their zip code, gets a great public education. But when it comes to closing schools through the School Reform Office, we need to take a hard look at how this process is working.

As legislators continue to attack school employees’ wages, benefits and pensions, the result isn’t just a shortage of full-time teachers. School districts are struggling to find substitute teachers — a trend that could reach crisis proportions if not addressed quickly.

LANSING — With infrastructure challenges the likely focus of tonight’s State of the State address, members of the state’s two school employee unions are hoping to hear a commitment from Gov. Rick Snyder that much-needed repairs won’t come at the expense of students’ education.

On Tuesday, Jan. 17, the U.S. Senate will hold a confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, President-Elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education. DeVos and her wealthy, right-wing family are no strangers to Michigan educators and students, who have suffered for years under policies the DeVoses have pushed as mega-donors to the Republican Party. That’s why…